Hypoxia and regulation of cancer cell stemness

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014:772:41-53. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5915-6_2.

Abstract

Spontaneous tumors often contain heterogeneous populations of tumor cells with different tumor-initiating potentials or cancer cell "stemness." Clonal heterogeneity can be traced to specific locations inside a tumor where clones with different metastatic capabilities are identified, suggesting that the tumor microenvironment can exert a significant effect on the evolution of different clonal populations. Hypoxia is a common feature of tumor microenvironments and has the potential to facilitate malignant progression. This chapter provides a synopsis of hypoxia-regulated pathways implicated in the maintenance of cancer stem cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / physiology
  • Cell Hypoxia / physiology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology*
  • Tumor Microenvironment / physiology

Substances

  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors